The New Hope Café-Dawn Atkins

The New Hope Café

Dawn Atkins

Harlequin SuperRomance, Oct 2 2012, $5.50

ISBN: 9780373718092

Cara Price’s plans for her and her daughter Beth Ann collapse when her abusive former husband Barrett is released after three years of a six year sentence. She planned for his prison time to enable her to get a teaching degree and new identities for her and her child. Now she is one the run because she knows the beast will come for them.

They end up stuck in New Hope, Arizona when their car breaks down. Cara takes a job at The Comfort Cafe to earn the money to pay for repairs. The owner’s nephew Jonah Gold the cook concludes the new help is poorly concealing her fear of someone. When Barrett arrives in New Hope, cancer victim Jonah seems like the only hope (or is he?) to keep mother and daughter safe from a bullying psychopath who charms with ice cream and guns.

Though the premise has been used before, readers will enjoy this taut romantic suspense with the tension coming late. The cast is solid as Jonah recovers from a cancer scare and the two females show their fears of Barrett in different ways. Dawn Atkins provides an enjoyable tale as mother and daughter take their last stand at the New Hope Café.